Jacksonville Weather

Jacksonville experiences a humid subtropical climate which is characterized by mild weather during winter and hot weather during summer. Jacksonville weather typically has high temperatures that average 64 - 92 F (18 - 33 C) throughout the year. Temperature extremes are not uncommon in Jacksonville with temperatures as high as 110 F (43.3 C) being possible. The highest temperature recorded in this city was 105 F (41 C) on the 21st of July 1942. Jacksonville weather is characterized by thunderstorms that can erupt anytime even on a summer afternoon. The thunderstorms are caused by the brisk heating of the land as compared to the water together with the extremely high humidity levels.

Humid Subtropical Climate

According to Koppen climate classification Jacksonville experiences a humid subtropical climate. Jacksonville weather is characterized by hot and humid summers with winters that are generally mild to cool. The coldest months in this climate have average temperatures that are between 26.6 F and 64.4 F (-3 C and 18 C). The warmest month in this climate has temperatures that exceed 71.6 F (22 C). This type of climate is usually accompanies by dry winters. In a humid subtropical climate there is no distinct difference between the dry and wet seasons. All seasons have significant levels of precipitation. This type of climate is subject to be affected by droughts, thunderstorms, hurricanes and tropical storms.

Distribution Of Humid Subtropical Climate

Humid subtropical climates usually occur on the southeast of all continents particularly between the latitudes 25 and 40 north and are usually located at the coasts or near the coasts. There are however some inland locations that experience this kind of climate. In North America the humid subtropical climates are mostly located in the south of the continent. Florida is one state that has this type of climate among which Jacksonville is one of the city that experience this kind of climate. The weather in many of the states that have this type of climate is subject to temperature extremes. There can be occasional thunderstorms, hurricanes and other extreme weather effects.

Winter

Winter in Jacksonville can have some hard freezes at night. Jacksonville weather however is characterized by freezing weather that does not last for a long time. The city has an average of about 10 - 15 nights which have temperatures that fall below freezing point. The coldest temperature recorded was 7 F (-14 C) at Jacksonville International Airport on the 21st of January 1985. Although Jacksonville does have temperatures which fall below freezing point the city rarely has any snow. This is because the snow melts as soon as it touches the ground. Jacksonville has only has snow cover on 2 rare occasions the first on the 23rd of December 1989 and the second on the 26th of December 2010.

Adverse Weather

Jacksonville weather is subject to hurricanes. Although Jacksonville is affected by hurricanes the city has suffered the least damage from hurricanes than most cities located on the east coast. The city has only been affected by one direct hurricane in 1871. Jacksonville experiences near hurricane conditions when storms pass through the state from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The strongest effect that was felt in this city was from Hurricane Dora in 1964 and in 2008 the city was affected by Tropical Storm Fay which moved across the city and caused 4 days of darkness.

Temperatures

The record high average temperature for Jacksonville is 105 F (41 C). The hottest months are from May to September with the highest average temperatures being recorded in July. Average high temperatures at Jacksonville are set at 79.3 F (26.3 C). The record lowest temperature was 7 F (-14 C) which was recorded in January. The lowest monthly average temperatures are generally recorded in the month of January which has an average of 41.5 F (5.3 C).

Precipitation

Jacksonville has an average of about 113.5 precipitation days a year. The month of August is the one with the most precipitation days with an average of 22 days while June and July have an average of 13 days and August is the second rainiest month with an average of 15 precipitation days. The month of August receives the most rainfall with an average of 6.79 inches (172.5 mm) followed by June and July which have averages of 6.45 inches (163.8 mm) and 6.55 inches (166.4 mm) of precipitation respectively. On average Jacksonville receives a total of 52.36 inches (1329.9 mm) of precipitation.